APPLES 437 
mental conditions but which are not 
maiked enough to give rise to a new 
vaniety See Variation, Causes of 
As an example of the fiist the follow- 
ing list of varieties which have origin- 
ated trom common parentage, is given 
Arkansas Beauty Flat Ben Davis 
Arkansas Belle Gano 
Ben Davis Improved Ben Davis 
Ben Hur Nordhaussan 
Black Ben Davis Ostrakavis 
Coffelt Paris 
Cole Davis Shackleford 
Hicke Shirley 
Etris Sweet Ben Davis 
Extra White Ben Davis 
“Many of these are of minor impor- 
tance, and doubtless some are not propa- 
gated and will soon disappear from cul- 
tivation. Almost without exception they 
are of southern origin and best adapted 
to growing under southern conditions 
When grown north of the southern 
Missouri and Ohio valleys they are in- 
ferior in quality, though fairly hardy and 
bearing good crops. 
“The fruit is generally roundish conic 
in form, nearly regular, with regular cav- 
ity and basin, the latter generally more 
or less abrupt. In color, greenish yellow, 
usually overspread with bright red, more 
or less striped. The flesh is generally 
white and firm, of medium or coarse tex- 
ture. They are of only moderately good 
quality but long keepers and good ship- 
pers. With one exception they are more 
or less acid in flavor, generally a mild 
subacid A notable characteristic com- 
mon to all varieties examined was the 
presence of a pistil point or the persist- 
ent base of the pistil, a character rarely 
found in apples not belonging to this 
group.” 
In addition to the above the following 
are believed to belong to the Ben Davis 
group, but evidence is wanting to make 
the author certain. 
Breckinridge Hastings Red 
Chicago Highfill 
Collins (Champion) King David 
Florence Marion Red 
Givins 
As to the causes which give rise to 
changes sufficient to warrant the name of 
a new variety), we are compelled to admit 
a gieat deal of ignorance About the best 
we can do 1s to fall back upon that gen- 
e1al fact of tendency, to vary which seems 
to characterize the whole biological 
world. 
A good illustration of variations due 
to environmental causes as, for example, 
Climate, is shown in the accompanying 
diagram of the Ben Davis apple as grown 
from Nova Scotia to Arkansas 
“Considering the ‘results of all the 
measurements taken’ we find that in the 
extreme Northeast the Ben Davis is much 
elongated, and as we go South and West 
it becomes less elongated and more flat- 
tened, till we reach West Virginia and 
Kentucky, where it becomes a decidedly 
oblate apple. In the Ozarks it is a little 
longer and in Southern California still 
longer, and in British Columbia it is al- 
most as much elongated as in Nova Sco- 
tia and neighboring regions. * * #* 
Apples from districts near large bodies 
of water were noticeably elongated. The 
conclusion seems to be that ‘beginning in 
the southern Allegheny mountains and in 
Southern California and going north the 
apples become more elongated and that 
the elongation is much more pronounced 
in the vicinity of large bodies of water, 
either salt or fresh.’ ”’ 
The many variations in apple varieties 
arise from many causes which may be 
grouped as cultural, using the word in 
the broad sense; soil and climatic. Of 
climatic influences, temperature is the 
most potent, 
The methods pursued in the growing 
and in the care of the trees have great 
influence in the character of the fruit. It 
is affected in every way, in size, form, 
color, keeping quality, shipping quality 
and dessert quality. 
As to the effect of soil types on the 
variation of apples, not enough is known 
regarding this question to make any def- 
inite generalizations on the subject. 
Variation in the form of the Ben Davis, 
and probably in other sorts as well, is due 
principally to the temperature during a 
period of about two weeks following blos- 
soming. The lower the temperature the 
